MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave Community College is looking to expand academic and workforce programs to benefit students and communities throughout the College district. Administrators presented an overview of the extensive Academic Master Plan (AMP) to College Trustees during the board meeting on February 10.

The AMP includes both credit and noncredit programs and courses the college provides through its four instructional divisions, which the college groups by Areas of Interest:

• General Education & Transfer
• Career & Technical Education (CTE)
• Health Professions, Public Safety and Human Services
• Career Training/Corporate Education and Community Education
• The four divisions have worked together to build the AMP, which spans the next four to five years

“Our primary goal is to ensure MCC is serving students and communities throughout Mohave County by offering relevant and in-demand educational offerings that meet workforce development needs, corporate and continuing education, as well as continuing to support the general education and transfer missions of the College,” said Executive Vice President Dr. Tim Culver, who oversees the college instruction and student services departments.

A key aspect of the AMP includes placing an increased priority on short-term noncredit courses that teach specific skills needed in the labor market. The College also enhanced its partnerships with area business, industry, government and educational leaders to help ensure success for students seeking careers with family-sustaining wages.

As it increases noncredit workforce courses, MCC plans to add opportunities for students to receive credits for the skills they learn. Those “credits for prior learning” would be applied to a student’s college transcript if the student decides to pursue a degree or certificate in an associated field.

“For example, a student who completes our noncredit Rehabilitation Aide course could then request to have credits for prior learning applied toward a Physical Therapy Assistant degree, which would put them a step ahead on their pursuit of that degree,” said College Dean of Health Professions June Weiss.

MCC board members were also informed that the college Career Training & Corporate Education received approval to have professional development and career training programs added to the Eligible Training Provider List. This means federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity funds can be made available to help students, or their employers, pay tuition and fees for the college career training programs.

“I want to thank our partners at the County Workforce Services board for helping make this possible,” said Dr. Kirk Lacy, MCC dean of workforce and regional development partnerships. “This will help increase access to the education and training that’s needed to support area workforce and business development needs.”

Dr. Lacy also explained that the College has partnered with the Chambers of Commerce in Kingman, Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City to offer a Workforce Excellence Training Series.  It includes six new noncredit courses covering topics requested by industry employers throughout the county. Those six are Communication, Customer Service, Team Performance, Conflict Resolution, Management & Supervision and Leadership.

Those six classes will start in March 2023 and continue to be offered and expanded throughout the year. MCC is also working to extend the partnership offerings with the UZONA Chamber in northern Mohave County.

Some highlights from the College AMP include:

• Adding alternative licensing options for Secondary and Special Education Instructors
• Adding a Childcare Management Certificate program
• Social and Behavioral Sciences faculty offering a series of noncredit behavioral health workshops
• Computer Information Systems faculty offering noncredit Google+ certificates
• Adding Respiratory Therapy AAS degree
• Adding Medical Lab Technician degree
• Adding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree
• Adding a Health and Human Service bachelor’s degree
• Increasing the Welding program capacity on the campuses
• Utilizing a mobile manufacturing lab in support of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center that will be built near the Kingman regional airport and serve all of Mohave County
• Expanding the Electrical program to Bullhead City
• Expanding the Auto Service program to add a spring cohort
• Relocating Auto Collision Technology to Havasu
• Expanding HVAC/R to Kingman

To access a full list of current degree, certificate and noncredit programs visit www.Mohave.edu. The college is currently enrolling students in credit courses that are eight weeks long and begin March 20, and summer semester courses that begin May 22. Noncredit Community and Corporate Education classes are also enrolling students and those may be accessed at CE.Mohave.edu.